LIVE BLOG: WVPB Follows The 2024 General Election

Updated on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 9:49 p.m.

The 2024 general election has been full of twists and turns at the state and national level. During the primary season, it appeared to be a contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Then, after a shaky debate performance, Biden withdrew from the race setting up an all new contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. In just a little more than 100 days, Harris and her team have barnstormed throughout the battleground states. 

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., choosing to retire instead of running again threw shockwaves into the competition for the Senate seat and even control over the chamber. 

At the state level, many pundits predicted Gov. Jim Justice would take Manchin’s seat, but former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliot decided to run against him on the Democrat ticket.

In the governor’s race, with Justice term-limited, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is running against Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. 

Four of the five offices known as the Board of Public Works will have a new office holder. That includes the attorney general, the state auditor, the state treasurer and the secretary of state. The state’s agriculture commissioner, Kent Leonhardt, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Deborah Stiles.

For up-to-date information on election results, visit the secretary of state office’s website, and stay tuned to this live blog from West Virginia Public Broadcasting. For a full list of candidates running for election in West Virginia, visit the secretary of state office’s candidate search webpage.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m.

Follow the WVPB Newsroom on Instagram @wvpublicnews.

Election Results

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Corrupted Data

Corrupted Memory Stick Slows Kanawha Reporting

At 9:10p.m, the Kanawha County’s Public Information Office found that a data stick that held information about early voting numbers was corrupted. 

“It certainly could potentially make for results to take a little bit longer than normal, but we don’t have an exact timeline on that at this time,” Kanawha County Commission Public Information Officer Megan Bsharah told WVPB.

Bsharah said updates will be released on the Kanawha County’s social media pages and website, kanwha.us

The statewide ballot measure on constitutionally banning medically assisted suicide has also yet to be called. There’s currently a tight margin among reporting counties, and Kanawha which is one the biggest outstanding counties.

U.S. Senate

Jim Justice (And Babydog) Goes To Washington

Gov. Jim Justice will be the next U.S. Senator from West Virginia.

The two-term governor will head to Washington in January, bringing Republicans one seat closer to controlling the chamber.

Justice spoke at his victory celebration at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort, which he owns.

“We did it,” he said. “And how we did it? We pulled the rope together. All of you. All of you with me.”

Justice will succeed Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who declined to seek re-election.

Justice, 73, was elected governor in 2016 as a Democrat with Manchin’s support, but publicly switched parties with then-President Donald Trump at a Huntington rally.

Justice defeated Democrat Glenn Elliott, the former mayor of Wheeling.

Student News Live At Marshall University

This year, Marshall University’s campus television studio is a hub for the national election reporting initiative called Student News Live.

This project brings together 24 hours of reporting from universities across the United States, documenting college student perspectives on the presidential race and issues affecting first-time voters. Students at Marshall’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications will anchor coverage including contributions from more than 70 universities and other national organizations.

You can access Student News Live’s coverage below.

Stories From Around The State

Scroll through stories from around West Virginia as West Virginia Public Broadcasting reporters speak with voters statewide.

Boone County

Everything From Faith To Gas Prices Drive Voting In Boone County

By Maria Young
Published at 8:20 p.m.

Voters in Boone County were almost completely united behind former President Donald Trump in his bid for a new term. But their reasons were varied; from morals and ethics to the cost of living.

“I’m a Trump voter, of course,” Jessica Stowers, 43, said.

“For me it’s good versus evil. My faith is a big part of my vote.” 

Alexandria Justice said she was hoping to vote before the polls closed Tuesday evening. 

“It’s inflation, gas prices, groceries. It’s hard to feed three kids,” she said.

Frank Adkins, 75, is bothered by the shutdown of a pipeline, and with it jobs, that he says left under President Joe Biden.

“We need a change in the White House,” Adkins said.

Johnny Sayre agreed.

“Kamala Harris is driving me to the polls. Can’t let her become president,” he said.

Sayre said he is alarmed by the number of undocumented people crossing the border and, he believes, bringing in drugs like fentanyl. He sees that getting even worse if Harris is elected.

A handful of voters said they were also focused on the governor’s race, but few local elections caught their attention.

Putnam County

‘People That Don’t Vote Shouldn’t Really Voice Their Opinion’

As America headed to the polls Tuesday, so too did residents of Putnam County.

For election day, Monte Bledsoe arrived at his polling location with his family. For years, they’ve made it a point to vote together – despite differing political beliefs.

“We all come out,” Bledsoe said. “They vote however they want. I vote however I want. We’re just, it’s our civic duty. We feel like, as an American, we come out and we vote.”

While visiting the polls in November is a tradition for some, for young voters like Chloe Beckner, it’s their first general election. She said it felt good to cast her ballot.

“It’s just important to get out and vote and, you know, put your voice out there,” Beckner said.

Mary Brim is a lifelong voter and says she was raised to exercise her right to vote.

“People that don’t vote shouldn’t really voice their opinion, because they don’t make their opinion to be known at the ballots,” Brim said. “That’s how I was raised. I might be old school.”

Eastern Panhandle

Environment, Identity, School Issues Pushing Some Eastern Panhandle Voters Left

This year, several closely watched races in West Virginia’s general election come from the fastest growing region of the state, its Eastern Panhandle.

The area has a significant Republican majority. But some residents on the left hope a growing influx of newcomers to the state could help swing local elections in the Democratic Party’s favor.

Some voters backing local Democratic candidates say they want better pay for teachers, more environmental protections and inclusivity for immigrants, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

Democratic values like these are part of the reason Shepherdstown resident Stewart Acuff votes blue year after year.

“It’s the Republicans on the county council who now want to cover this green landscape with tract housing and industrial solar,” Acuff said. “As long as people like Jim Justice and Patrick Morrisey try to run the state like a coal operator — like they make all the decisions and they get all the money — then West Virginia is going to be stuck in poverty.”

Shepherdstown resident Karene Motivans said she was excited to vote for “youthful, energetic new candidates” for local office.

But Motivans said she also wanted to cast a vote against ideas expressed by candidates on the right, like anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant positions.

“I come from parents that are immigrants. It makes me emotional,” she said. “They add so much to our country.”

No Republican voters agreed to speak to West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Shepherdstown on Election Day.

But some residents supporting a Republican ticket spoke with the newsroom last week during early voting. They said they want candidates who can minimize government spending, reduce property costs, decrease the local cost of living and protect freedom of speech.

See an extended version of this story at this link.

Monongalia County

Voters In Morgantown Feel Motivated By National Politics, But Keep Focus Down The Ballot

By Chris Schulz
Published at 3:30 p.m.

Many West Virginians like Kevin Hamric see voting as their civic duty and a way to express themselves.

“I have an opinion, and I want to make sure that I’m involved in the decisions that we’re making going forward for this community, the state, nation,” he said.

Both national and local races drove Hamric to the polls Tuesday, but he emphasized the importance of local politics.

“There’s a lot we can do locally and work outward, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have our opinion be counted on the national stage as well,” Hamric said. “I think locally we can look at each other and usually cut through some of the mess a little bit more and get things done. Because we’re working hand in hand, we’re usually working a little more face to face, and I think we see each other as people a little bit more when we’re on the local level.”

Hamric attended his local polling place at Morgantown High School with his young son, who he said is interested in the process.

“He’s got questions, and it’s great to be able to talk about those and for him to see what we’re talking about, instead of just explaining it to him,” he said.

For Chris Lituma, he sees voting as a privilege not shared globally.

“I think the system works and has worked and can continue to work,” he said. “I don’t think it’s flawless, but for now, it’s working, hopefully.”

Voting in Morgantown, a Democratic outlier in the broader Republican stronghold of the state, Lituma said he feels his vote matters more.

“The local politics, I think they are more split than they are nationally,” he said. “And so that’s really important for me, because I think our vote does matter here locally more than it would statewide.”

Jill Descoteaux said she comes out to vote in every local election, but admits it is difficult to find information about local races.

“It’s really easy to be motivated about the national headline because we’re bombarded with information about those candidates and everything they do,” she said. “I would say that I put more energy into voting down ballot, to doing my research, but the motivation to come out here is very like, ‘Rah rah, everyone, come together and get get who you want in office at the top of the ticket.’”

Descoteaux, who described herself as a “news junkie,” said she opted to wait and cast her vote on election day rather than vote early to feel more a part of the process.

Unopposed Races In The Mountain State

Despite the expressed enthusiasm for local races, in many local elections this year voters were faced with not much of a choice on their ballots.

Of the 100 House of Delegates races on ballots across the state in this election, nearly half were unopposed, as were one third of all state senate races.

In Monongalia County, where races for surveyor and prosecutor were also unopposed, voters like Robin Cheung said seeing one name on the ballot is a shame.

“There’s no new ideas that come out of there,” he said. “You’re gonna have the same person, the same ideas, same thoughts, same thought process. It’s always good to have someone else to run against, you can kind of brighten things up and freshen things up a little bit.”

Lituma said he’s bothered by unopposed races, enough to consider running in the future.

“It’s a challenge to find people, especially in West Virginia because there’s a party that dominates the state,” he said. “

At the state level, Larry Pack is unopposed for the position of state Treasurer.

Morgantown voter Grace Hutchens said it made her sad to see solitary names under so many races.

“That’s the whole point of this process, is to have people running against each other and to give you a choice to see who you would prefer to represent you in that certain field,” she said. “It’s always kind of a little tragic just to see somebody running unopposed. It’s probably nice for them running unopposed, but as far as the process goes, it’s a little sad.”

A Potential Amendment To The State Constitution

West Virginia voters will decide on a new amendment to the state’s constitution this election.

Amendment 1 asks voters to decide whether or not to change the state’s constitution to prohibit medically assisted suicide.

But voters like Hutchens said the wording of this and previous ballot amendments feels intentionally confusing.

“I’ve seen a couple amendments that have been proposed in elections, and both times the language was very confusing,” she said. “You really had to look and put time and effort into seeing what they were trying to say and accomplish.”

Kylie Cannon said she voted early but came out to support her friends as they voted. She said she has sick friends who would be directly impacted by the amendment, agrees that the wording of the amendment is tricky.

“I think that’s something that’s really important to educate yourself about, rather than just going in, voting for the top of the ticket and then just going home,” Cannon said.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia are both already illegal in West Virginia.

Cabell County

Schools, Libraries, Parks And A New Mayor On The Ballot In Huntington

In Cabell County, a three-pronged levy affecting schools, libraries and parks and selecting the first new Huntington Mayor in more than a decade joined presidential politics in bringing voters to the polls.

Debra McCallister said voting doesn’t necessarily run in her family’s history. However, she said this time, the stakes, both nationally and locally, compelled her to go to her voting precinct, which was across the street from her home.

“I think it’s an important vote,” McCallister said. “You need to speak up for what you think and what you believe. On the national ticket, the immigration, taxes, and the economy. Locally, a vote for the Huntington mayor and city council, and I think it’s important to know the people that are on those seats.”

In Cabell County, partial funding for the county’s public libraries and the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District comes from the Cabell County Schools Excess Levy.

In February, 2024, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled the school district no longer needed to provide funding for parks and libraries. The district cut funding to both groups on the May primary levy renewal.

Voicing displeasure with the decision, Cabell County voters said no to the levy renewal. which included the cuts.

But then, with a new school superintendent, the Cabell County Board of Education adopted a plan to fully restore funding to both the libraries and the parks.

Allyson and Sam Ransbottom came out to support the revised school levy.

“We’re hoping that it goes through this time,” Allyson said. “I work for the library, so we were working really hard before to make that happen. It will be really good for the schools and libraries.”

“We’re both from here,” Sam said. “We’ve lived here pretty much all of our lives. I’ve used the library, as she has, since we were little kids, so it’s really important to us.”

Rick Reed said he had one key reason to vote today.

“I want my country back,” Reed said. “I think the Democrat Party has just totally destroyed it.”

Daniel Beahm said he had several reasons to vote, with one hoped-for outcome.

“I believe in democracy among all the main issues,” Beham said. “But mostly I just felt that it was necessary to come out and support Kamala.”

Huntington will also elect the first new mayor in 12 years.